I received an ARC of this book and I enjoyed it so much! There are several underlying themes throughout the book that really hit home for me. Trust -- how much can you trust those around you? During hard times, can you trust your community? Your friends? Your family? Yourself?? Also the impact of addiction on families, both in the short term and the long term, and how far the consequences can reach. Another theme that kept me thinking and engaged while reading was the concept of guilt. The main character, Lily, struggled with a lot of feelings of guilt over things and events that she had no control over. I think a lot of us, especially as women, experience that same struggle because of unrealistic expectations of perfection and the strength we think we should display to the world.
Much of the first half of the book was focused on the emotional and physical healing of Lily and her family after she is brutally attacked while running. Lily struggles with a growing reliance on opioid medications for both her physical pain and her mental anguish. This causes a lot of difficulties for her and her family. While they are working to heal, they are faced with anger from their community due to Lily's attacker being a local football star. Friendships change or are lost, relationships with family members are strained, and old wounds are revisited. Lily must come to terms with the damage that her reliance on opioids is causing, and fight to remain sober while continuing to cope.
The second part of the book changes lanes, in a way. There are several mysterious events that happen, causing Lily to question her own sanity, and those around her to question her sobriety and honesty. A lot of trust issues come into play during this part of the book. Lily isn't sure whether to trust herself, there is growing tension in her marriage, and her children are negatively impacted. Another tragic event in their lives leads to answers that were unexpected and surprising.
Overall, this was a wonderful story of personal, family, and community healing and forgiveness. It was almost impossible to put it down! I thank the author for the opportunity to read and review her book.